MMA is known for throwing up almost impossible moments.
Wild knockouts, slick submissions, and downright bizarre post-fight interviews have become commonplace in the sport that the world has come to love over the past three decades.
With another great year of fights almost done and dusted, the Bloody Elbow staff are looking forward to the weird and wonderful things in store for 2025.
From Jon Jones getting knocked out and Alex Pereira retiring to a tech mogul making his debut in the sport. If even half of our predictions come true, the next 12 months are going to be nothing short of extraordinary.
Bloody Elbow staff share bold 2025 predictions
Jordan Ellis: “I think we’ll see Mark Zuckerberg make his MMA debut in 2025. The Facebook billionaire won’t fight Elon Musk, and he won’t compete at the Colosseum in Rome, but he will have some form of fight in the next 12 months.
Donagh Corby: “As far as I’m concerned, Nate Diaz is pretty much finished as a serious competitor in either the octagon or the boxing ring. I had him losing to Jorge Masvidal in their fight earlier this year, and I’d imagine he’ll struggle in the cage. He didn’t win a round on my scorecard in the boxing ring with Jake Paul, who is also an established wrestler from his youth. If Diaz isn’t able to catch him in a grappling exchange, I think with smaller gloves and kicks implemented, he will knock out the Stockton star, and a $10million offer from PFL might get him back in the cage.”
Tom Llewellyn: “This one pains me; I believe Jon Jones will retire or at a minimum, vacate the title in 2025, leaving Tom Aspinall as the one to welcome Alex Pereira to heavyweight for a super-fight later in the year.
However, with ‘Poatan’ set to celebrate his 38th birthday in July, it’ll only be a one-and-done move for the Brazilian – and it won’t go well.
Aspinall is faster, more powerful and has been open about his plan to spear-tackle Pereira in the opening 10 seconds. Either way, Alex Pereira retires with a KO loss.”
Jamie Theodosi: “I struggled to think of something for this one as in the world of MMA, things just don’t seem that bizarre or bold anymore. However, my bold prediction is that Ilia Topuria will end 2025 as double champion. I think Islam Makhachev will end up moving to welterweight and Topuria will claim the lightweight strap.”
James Sweetnam: “Jon Jones is considered by many as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time — a man with unrivalled creativity, a truly sensational fight IQ and a resume so tremendous it’s allowed him to stake his claim as the best to ever grace the octagon. However, that’s all going to come crumbling down around him when Tom Aspinall renders him brutally unconscious within 30 seconds. While the undisputed heavyweight champion has seen almost everything there is to see in the sport, he’s never come across anyone with the size and speed of the Englishman, and it’s going to pay dividends in the fight, with the American not knowing what’s hit him when his rival puts his chin into orbit with one of his thunderous right hands.”
Curtis Calhoun: “All three female UFC champs (Zhang Weili, Valentina Shevchenko, Julianna Pena) will lose their titles by the end of 2025.
“Expect big shakeups in women’s MMA in 2025. Zhang Weili will be the first female UFC champ to lose her belt in the new year, suffering a lopsided defeat to Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312.
“Julianna Pena will suffer a similar fate to Kayla Harrison in the first title defense of her second bantamweight title reign, and Valentina Shevchenko will suffer a TKO loss to Manon Fiorot.
“The women’s divisions have endured significant turnover in recent years and expect more parody in 2025.”
Dana White reveals 2025 plans
UFC boss Dana White has his work cut out if he wants to top 2024.
Conor McGregor is set to make his return to action. MMA’s biggest star of all time has been out of action since breaking his leg during a trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.
An exhibition boxing bout with Logan Paul is thought to be in play, but ‘Notorious’ is almost certainly set to return to the Octagon at some point in the next year.
White recently talked up a ‘crazy’ fight he’s currently working on as well as a heavyweight unification clash between Jon Jones and interim heavyweight title Tom Aspinall.
The UFC CEO recently guaranteed Jones vs Aspinall will take place in 2025.
Everything else remains up in the air right now. All MMA fans can do is wait to see what the UFC has in store. Until then you’re stuck making bold predictions like our staff. Only time will tell if any of them will come true.
- READ MORE: Jon Jones details five-year plan as he eyes two more UFC wins before dramatic career change